Workout Results in a Bottle?

Taking Tylenol or Advil after lifting weights may do more than soothe sore muscles—new research shows it could help build them. In a study of elderly weightlifters, those who took regular doses of pain relievers showed 40 to 60 percent more growth in muscle mass and strength than those taking placebo—and now that grandpa's jacked, we're eyeing the medicine cabinet wondering if younger guys can take advantage.

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To find out how the results would hold up outside the nursing home—and what popping these pills regularly can do to your health—we interviewed the study's lead researcher, Dr. Todd Trappe, an associate professor with the Human Performance Lab at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Here's what he had to say:

First of all, what kind of dosages were the study participants taking—and what kind of results did they see?

The dosages were 1,200 mg of ibuprofen per day (or six 200 mg tablets) and 4,000 mg a day for acetaminophen (or eight 500 mg tablets) for three months. Muscle volume increased 11 percent in the ibuprofen group and 13 percent in the acetaminophen group, compared with 9 percent in the placebo group. Muscle strength increased 30 percent in the ibuprofen group and 28 percent in the acetaminophen group, compared with 23 percent in the placebo group.

How likely are these results to hold up with younger exercisers?

I'm thinking there is no difference, but we're not sure because we haven't studied the long-term effects in younger people. We'd like to do a long-term tissue analysis to get an idea of what will or won't change in younger people.

Your earlier research on younger people showed pain relievers interfered with muscle metabolism?

The original study with younger people was done over a 24-hour period, and the drugs had an opposite effect. In this study, I was convinced that they would negatively affect muscle growth, or that the body would adapt and there would be no long-term effect. The fact that it went exactly the other way threw us for a loop.

So the pills inhibited muscle growth?

We measured muscle metabolism, not growth, because you can't look at that in the length of the day. It was like shutting off the gas pump with the drugs—it inhibits the COX enzyme that helps protein synthesis and muscle growth.

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If the pills shut off the gas pump, why did muscles grow in this study?

I can only speculate, but the body … overcompensated for the initial blockage of the enzyme by making more of it to try and overcome the effect of the drug, which would boost muscle mass and strength. We'll know a lot more about the exact mechanisms of how these drugs affect our muscles once we finish analyzing participants' muscle biopsies over the next few months.

The labels on both types of pain relievers say not to take these for longer than 10 days unless recommended by a doctor—is this a good idea?

Exceeding the recommended dosage for ibuprofen has been linked to kidney and stomach problems and acetaminophen may cause liver troubles. If you start taking one pill a day, will it hurt? No more than if you decided taking a pill a day because your ankle hurts—but you have to be willing to accept the risks that are on the bottle. Until we know a lot more, it's not something we want to advocate, but the analysis will give us a lot more information about how our muscles grow.

Until the researchers find more conclusive results, try these Men's Health–approved supplements to help you achieve maximum workout results without risking your health.

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